Basic Research Center on Molecular and Cell Biology of Drug Abuse

The Basic Research Center on Molecular and Cell Biology of Drug Addiction (MCBDA) was established 10 years ago with the objectives to (1) to foster interdisciplinary approaches in drug addiction research; (2) to serve as an activity center to coordinate and to promote all academic and scholarly activities on drug addiction research at University of Minnesota; (3) to serve as a national resource for molecular and cell biology of drug addiction research: and (4) to serve as training center for young scientists here at University of Minnesota. The Center was founded with 8 scientific components that use multidisciplinary approaches in their investigation of molecular mechanisms of drug addiction. Center activities have included sponsored seminars and biannual symposium, which have raised the visibility of drug addiction research at the University of Minnesota and provided opportunities for interactions among Center members and nonmembers. The Center has served as a national and international source of reagents, plasmid constructs, viruses and genetically altered mice for drug addiction research. The Center has proven to be an excellent training ground for investigators at the University of Minnesota, nationally and internationally. Through the Seed Grants Program initiated during last funding period, we have provided opportunities for investigators to explore innovative approaches for drug addiction research. The seed grants also provided opportunities to recruit new investigators into drug addiction field. We wish to build on the past success and continue the missions of the Center in the next funding period. Our research theme will focus on the molecular and cell biology of opioid actions and addiction. In order to further foster the synergistic interactions among the scientific components, we will re-establish the Molecular Cellular and Genetic Core. Thus, the proposed structure of the Center will consist of 5 scientific components supported by an administrative core and a service core. Adhering to our goal to recruit and foster development of young investigators in drug addiction research, we will continue our successful Seed Grant Program and also will initiate a new Pilot Project Program for the recruitment and development of young investigators who could contribute to the mission of the Center. The principle investigators of the scientific components have demonstrated records of past collaboration and are committed to the mission of the Center. We will raise the visibility of drug addiction by participating in the existing community outreach programs, and initiate contacts with the clinicians at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Together with the other Centers' programs, the Center will continue to be a research training center and national resource on the understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanism of drug addiction.